Fart lighting
Fart lighting, or pyroflatulence, is when people ignite the gases released during farting. The flame is often blue, earning nicknames like blue angel or blue flame; other colors such as orange or yellow can occur depending on the gas mix.
Historically it’s been a novelty mainly among young men and college students. It’s usually tried on camping trips or in single‑sex living spaces like dorms, tree houses, or fraternity houses. It’s dangerous and not recommended because it can cause serious injuries or even death.
With video sharing online, hundreds of self-made clips show fart lighting, ranging from funny to documentary style. Some writers say the stunt can be used to fit in with peers or as hazing, and that trying to impress others can lead to unhappiness.
Fart lighting also shows up in pop culture. Frank Zappa talked about the “manly art of fart-burning” and referenced it in song lyrics.
Chemically, flatulence contains gases such as methane and hydrogen that burn in air to form water and carbon dioxide, sometimes giving a blue flame. Hydrogen sulfide and other gases can also burn, producing sulfur compounds.
Gases come from gut bacteria that break down food. Some oxygen and nitrogen come from swallowed air, and CO2 comes from stomach acids reacting with bile.
The odor comes from hydrogen sulfide, skatole, indole, and other compounds produced by gut bacteria, detectable by the nose at very low levels—hydrogen sulfide is especially noticeable.
There have been rare cases of flatulence igniting during surgery, causing injuries.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:50 (CET).